The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Written in poignantly poetic tanka
verse, Grimes’ newest follows a young black boy searching for his own unique
voice, lost among his father’s wishes and society’s mischaracterizations.

This compassionate, courageous, and
hopeful novel explores the constraints placed on black male identity and the
corresponding pains and struggles that follow when a young black boy must
confront these realities both at home and in school. Garvey has a complicated
yet caring relationship with his family: “Mom’s got a talent / for origami, but
she / can’t fold me into / the jock Dad wants me to be.” Garvey copes with his
father’s disappointment by binge eating and, more positively, escaping into science
fiction. Readers see the deep, loving friendship Garvey shares with classmate
Joe, the only one with whom he can share his secrets. Through his father’s
lament that Garvey isn’t “normal” and other clues, Grimes leaves the
possibility open for readers to see Garvey as a young gay boy, which reinforces
the connection the novel establishes between him and Luther Vandross, who
struggled with both body image and being closeted. Garvey eventually finds
himself in the school chorus. “I feel unwritten / like that song says… / I
can’t wait to sing my song, / croon my own untold story.”

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